Venetian blind structure



June 14, 1949. H. NELSON 2,473,294

VENETIAN BLIND STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 20, 1946 a Sheets-Sheet 1 (Ittbmegs June 14, 1949. H. NELSON VENETIAN BLIND STRUCTURE 3 Sheds-Sheet 2 Filed D60. 20, 1946 Zhwentor flurry/M97501? (Ittorneg VENETIAN, BLIND STRUCTURE Filed D60. 20,'1946 I 3 ShebS-Sheet 3 (Ittoineg Patented June 14, 1949 PATENT OFFICE VENETIAN IBLIND STRUCTURE Harry Nelson, New ":Y r .assignvr Lorentzen Hardware Mfg. Corp, New York, N Y., a corporation of New York A plication December 20, 1946, Serial No. 717,345

.2 Claims. 1

his invention relates to improvements n Venetian blinds and has .to-do more particularly supplementary supporting m ans for the tilt bar.

It is a usual pra tice in venetian blinds oi ons derable: exten i. blinds aving relatively lon slats, to support the tiltboyot one or more p ints between its. cnd os-Wcll s at the en thereof. Most bl nds whi h emp oy a s ppl m ntary support for the t ba rcooir n ne su h support installed at or near the eenter of the til her. For reason suoh supmomentary" slimoor s .hae b come known in he trade. as "center supports. .Attimes heroin it will be conveni nt tense the tcitmino o yof the trade and refer to the device as o centersup-- port, but it bevuridcrstood. theta bl nd may be provided with on o more such supp s located in any non-terminal position along th length of the tilt-bor- For example a c nter support" is often ,instollcd'near the upp r end of each intermediate or intervening ladder tape- The present inventionis some respects an improvement over the supplementary support shown in myprior-Patent :No. 2,393,399 granted J armory 22, 194.6;

In order that the center support pintl-c m y be positioned on the geometrical axis of thetilt a deep transverse slot must be out in th tilt bar to provide space for the cooperating bracket as well" as operating clearance with respect thereto. The slot oonsideroblyweakens the til bar, which then has a tendency to break at. this point. This, dioiculty is a centuated when the. tilt bar is made of an inferior grndeof wood, 1. e., wood having poor grain or havin knots or other imperfections.

Til-t bars and head bars, particularly it made from wood that is not prop rly seasoned, ay warp or twist somewhat ofter'the blind is manufactured or even after installation of the blind. Such warping or twisting may result disen e sement of the center support pintlo. from its supporting bracketpotticularly during operation of the blind tilting .meohonism, unless the intie is locked into engagement so as t prev nt Such paration. The-weight of th blind al n cannot be relied. upon inoll insta ces toimoin tain the pintle in operatin relationship to its supporting bracket.

The: pres nt invention-hos: es a. primary. object the provision of o rslly imp oved supple: mentary support for the tilt 'bor of a Venetian blind.

Another obiect oi the inv ntion is to provide a all) 2 supplementary support tor a Venetian blindv tilt bar that will reinforce the slot-w ake ed p on f th t l ba in enimprovcd manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a. up l men ary support of the ri d m ype f r ve ti blind tilt bars, in which he arm .is dva tag ou ly reinforced .oso nst b nd ng.

A further object of the invention is to. provide a s pplementary support for Venet an blind tilt ba s, in which ccident l d senga ement of t cooperating fittings comprising the support is pr vented.-

An additiona object oi the in cnt on is to provide a supp mentary support .for o V n tian blind tilt ba which is capable of b ing quickly a as y coupledlor uncoupled, thereby facililgetting easy installation and removal of the l .A still .inrther object of the invention is tonseomplish the foregoing objects in a supplemeh ta-ry support for a Venetian blind. tilt bar, which support may be readily fabricated oi stamped heet. metal and be: economically applied to a tilt bar and head bar durin the tabriontion of blinds on a, production basis.

Further objects and objects. relating to details nd coonomies of construction and operation will more definitely appear from the detailed ,descrip tion to follow.

My invention is clearly defined in the appended claims. In the claimsas well as in the description, parts are at times identified .by spec fic names for clarity and convenience, but such nomenclature is to be understood as having the broadest meaning consistent with the context andwlth the concept of my invention as distinguished from the pertinent prior art. The best form in which I have contemplated apply. ing my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which:

l is a. front elevation showing a Venetian blind b r nd tilt ba-r equipped-with a center support embodying the present invention. To et er show details of construction, a portion of the tilt bar and an element of. the center support a e shown n section.-

.Fis- 2 :is a vertical cross section taken in eral on the line 2 2 of Fig, 1. In the interest of clarity t ere is omit ed .from this view the broolsct which is shown at the right-hand sid of Fig. 1. Y

3 is a fragmentary h rizontal secti n taken-on the line =3-of.Fig. 1. Superimposed on the View in dot dash lines is a. showing of 1a,

mounting flange which is located above the plane of the section.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the locking lever in open or disengaged position.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the center support per se.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the lower element of the center support as it would appear if developed into a plane.

Fig. 7 is a left side elevation of the upper element, or supporting bracket, of the center support, showing in dot-dash lines the locking lever in disengaged position.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the bracket shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section taken in general on the line 09 of Fig. '7, the mounting flange of the bracket being indicated in dot-dash lines.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the bracket shown in Figs. '7 and 8.

Fig. 11 is a View similar to Fig. 2, on a larger scale, showing a modified form of supporting bracket, the bracket being shown in closed position.

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11, the modified supporting bracket being shown in open position.

Fig. 13 is a front elevation of the modified supporting bracket.

Fig. 14 is a right side elevation of the modified supporting bracket, the bracket being shown in open position.

Fig. 15 is a horizontal section of the modified supporting bracket taken on the line l5l5 of Fig. 14. The pivot pin is omitted for clarity of illustration, and upper portions of the bracket are indicated in dot-dash lines.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary right side elevation of a still further modification of the supporting bracket. This modification may be incorporated into either the bracket of Figs. 1-10 or the bracket of Figs. 11-15.

In the form of the invention disclosed, the supplemental support consists essentially of two hingedly coupled parts, one rigidly mounted upon the head bar of the blind and the other rigidly mounted on the tilt bar thereof. The head-barattached part is a depending hook-shaped bracket that terminates in a bearing which receives and supports a pintle portion of the tilt-bar-attached part, which pintle portion operatively coincides with the axis of rotation of the tilt bar. The tilt bar is transversely notched or slotted at the zone of the head-bar-attached bracket; and the clearance thus afforded the bracket, in conjunction with the hooked character of the bracket itself, enables rotation of the tilt bar for an extent amounting to as much as or more than the 180 range desirable therefor.

The body of the bracket terminates in a forwardly opening bifurcated end adapted to resist either upward or downward displacement of the pintle portion of the tilt-bar-attached part contained therein. A locking lever is mounted on the bracket body for closing its bifurcated end so as to positively prevent displacement of the pintle portion from its bearing. The locking lever is maintained in locked position by the engagement of a protuberance on the lever with a depression formed in the arm of the bracket body. this depression being an inwardly formed bead extending around the corner and into the flange portion of the bracket body so as to reinforce the arm against sidewise displacement.

In the following description, for convenience, the center support will be referred to as in its normal position in a Venetian blind assembly and as viewed from the room side of the blind, the bracket being mounted on the underside of the head bar and extending downwardly and forwardly and the tilt bar fitting being positioned on the underside of the tilt bar with the pintle portion extending upwardly.

Reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings. A head bar l0 serves to support the balance of the blind and is in turn supported adjacent a wall opening by installation brackets, not shown. A tilt bar H is rotatably mounted beneath and parallel to the head bar [0, the right-hand end of the tilt bar being provided with a gudgeon pin i4 rotatably supported by a bracket 12, and the left-hand end of the tilt bar being provided with a connector l6 which connects the tilt bar to a tilter 15. The tilter, which supports the left-hand end of the tilt bar I I, may be operated to rotate the connector [6 through an arc of about 180, thereby eifecting like rotation of the tilt bar on its longitudinal axis. Ladder tapes, not shown, are conventionally secured to the tilt bar for supporting an assembly of slats. The structure and organization that has been described in this paragraph is conventional and well-known in the art.

The general construction and arrangement of the improved center support is best shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5. A bracket I1 has a body 18 formed as a one-piece sheet metal stamping, including a mounting flange l9 provided with holes for receiving screws 20 which secure the bracket to the head bar 10. The bracket body 18 also includes 2. depending flange 28 from the rear of which an arm 2| projects downwardly and then forwardly, terminating in a forwardly opening bifurcated end having fork members 22 and 23. The drop of the arm 2| is such that the bifurcated end is spaced downwardly from the mounting flange [9 of the bracket body 18 a distance substantially equal to the interval between the underside of the head bar l0 and the longitudinal axis of the tilt bar H.

The lower fork member 23 of the bifurcated end of the arm 2! is provided with a pintle-receiving transverse bearing 24, this hearing preferably having a rounded contour extending below the upper edge of fork member 23 as best shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 'T. The bottom edge of fork member 22 may be given a rectilinear contour, since it usually does not act .as a bearing but merely aids in keeping the pintle in place on hearing 24 as will more clearly appear later.

A locking lever 25 is pivotally mounted on the left side of the arm 2| by a rivet or other suitable fastening device 26 which passes through both of these members. This locking lever has an outline which is generally similar to that of arm 2!. The lower end portion 21 of the looking lever 25 has an upper contour which, when the locking lever is in the closed position shown in Figs. 2 and 5, corresponds with the contour of the transverse bearing 24; and it also has a tip 29 which substantially bridges the space between fork members 22 and 23 and then extends sidewise forming a lip 30 which lies just beneath fork member 22. An upper end 3! of the looking lever 25 extends to a point near the mounting flange 19 of the bracket body l8. An outturned flange 32 at the upper end 31 of the lever 25 serves as a convenient means for manually manipulating the lever.

The lever 25 is manually oscillatable between open and closed positions as indicated in Fig. 7.

5. In moving toward open position, the movement of the lever is limited by engagement of the lip 32 with the lower fork member 23 of the bracket body 18. In moving toward closed position, the movement of the lever is limited by engagement of the lip 3:! with the upper fork member 22. To latch the lever 25 in closed position, a protuberance 3% is formed at the upper extremity of the lever, the protuberance being adapted to snap into a groove formed in the adjacent surface of the arm ill. The groove35 extends upwardly and around the corner into the mounting flange H! of the bracket ii, forming on the opposite side of the stamping a bead which reinforces the arm 2! against bending relative to the flange l9. Both the bracket body? and the locking lever 25 may readily be stamped from flat sheet metal by means such as is known in the art of sheet metal stamping.

The tilt-bar-attached member of the center support is preferably formed as a one-piece sheet metal stamping 33, which when developed into a plane would appear as shown in Fig. 6. This stamping has a fiat generally rectangular body portion 36, from each corner of which there projects upwardly a prong 31 that is toothed as shown. Projecting upwardly from near the center of the body portion 38 are spaced legs 38, 38, the upper ends of which are connected by a pintle 39. each other by an opening M! which extends as shown into the body portion 3 5. The legs 33 38 may also be spaced from the body portion 38 by an amount represented by slots 4!, M in Fig.

The legs are separated from :1

6, but the width of these slots may be small and even approach the vanishing point.

In the installation of the center support, the bracket I7 is secured at the desired point lengthwise of the head bar It! so that the arm 2! pr jects downwardly and forwardly, the bearing 24 .1

being properly positioned with respect to the axis of rotation of the tilt bar as determined by the tilt bar bracket l2 and tilter mechanism it. A transverse slot 42 of suitable width is formed in the tilt bar II at the point where the center su port is to be attached, this slot extending a litt e more than half of the distance from the rear towards the front of the tilt bar. The tiltbar-attached member 33 is then pressed or hammered into position on the underside of the tilt bar. the prongs 3i entering the tilt bar and the pintle 39 bridging the transverse slot 52 and be ng moved into coincidence with the axis of rot tion of the tilt bar.

The four prongs 37 provide a ready means for securing the member 33 to the underside of the tilt bar and will resist considerable force tending to displace member 33. The holding ability of the prongs 3! is enhanced by the fact that the inclination on the toothed sides of the prongs tend to react in Wedge fashion with the wood and separate the prongs somewhat as they enter the wood. The legs 38, 38 preferably enter the tilt bar ll on each side of the transverse slot 42 to further aid in securing the plate to the tilt bar and making it rigid therewith. In addition, the pintle 38, which is at right angles to legs 38, 38 and spaced from the plane of the body plate 36, serves to reinforce the central portion of this plate against bending.

The tilt bar I I is, of course, considerably weakened by the transverse slot 42 which extends over half of the distance across the bar. This weakness is in large measure compensated for by the reinforcing action of member 33. The barbed prongs 37 not only possess the advantage os reviding for ready attachment to the tilt bar I" but they also aid in strengthening the tilt bar. I

have found that the reinforcing action of the plate. 35 is greatly enhanced by the provision of prongs 3? for securing it to the tilt bar rather than by securing it by use of conventional wood screws.

The assembly of a Venetian blind structure embodying the center support herein-described is readily accomplished. scoped into engagement with the tilter mechanism it, the opposite end of the tilt bar H being slightly forwardly inclined. Next, with the looking lever 25 of the bracket H in open position, the gudgeon pin it of the tilt bar is engaged with the tilt bar bracket 52 by moving that end of the tilt bar to the rear. Simultaneous with the engagement of the gudgeon pin M with the bracket E2, the pintle of the center support will enter. the bifurcated end of the bracket H and be received in the transverse bearing 24. After thus positioning the tilt bar i l, the locking lever 25 may be moved to closed position thus positively retaining the pintle 39 in operating relationship with the bracket H. The gudgeon pin is, of course, secured in position with respect to bracket i2, by securirr means with which such brackets are conventionally provided. The tilt bar may be removed from the head bar with equal facility by reversing the steps above described.

A center support having modified supporting bracket is shown in Figs. 11 to 15, inclusive. This modified form of bracket has certain advantages of manufacture and operation when used, it replaces the supporting bracket 5? above olescribed.

The modified supporting bracket or upper element of the center support, in general siinilar to the supporting bracket ll previously described; This bracket also a body, designated as 43, formed as a one-piece sheet metal stamping, including a mounting flange 15 similar to the mounting flange of the bracket body it. The depending arm &6 of the body of the modified bracket is generally similar to the arm of the bracket body l8, except that the groove t? of the modified bracket body at extends most of the dis tance down thearms to give added reinforcement. against bending. In addition, the arm (it is given a somewhat different configuration as shown in Figs. 11, 12' and 14, the edge portion d9 of the arm being formed straight for a purpose to be described. In addition, the upper and lower fork members to and 5! of the bifurcated end of the arm 46 are given a slightly different end contour, as indicated in Figs. 11, 12 and 14, to aid in insertion of the tilt-bar-attached member as of the center support.

The locking lever 52 of the modified supporting bracket M is in general similar to the locking lever 25 previously described. However, it is formed with a marginal inturned flange portion 54 to cooperate with the edge portion d9 of the arm 46. The flange portion 54 of the lever 52 serves to limit the opening and closing pivotal movements of the lever. The flange portion 52 immediately overlies the edge portion ts of the arm when the lever 52 is in closed position as shown in Fig. 11, and the lower edge of the flange portion 54 engages the upper edge of the arm 6 a short distance to the rear of the upper fork member 5!! when the lever 52 is in open position as shown in Figs. 12 and 14.

The fitting i6 is tele-v The tip 55 of the locking lever 52 is somewhat modified from that of the locking lever 25. The tip 55 has no laterally extending lip, the upper end of this tip overlapping the upper fork member 50 when the locking lever is in closed position. Since the flange portion 54 of the locking lever *52 serves, in cooperation with portions of the edge of the arm 46, to limit the opening and closing movements of the lever, a lip projecting between the upper and lower fork members (such as lip 30 in the bracket H) is not employed in this modification.

It will be understood that the modified form of supporting bracket 44 is usable with the same tilt-bar-attached member 33 previously described, replacing the supporting bracket II.

In the further modification shown in Fig. 16, which construction is equally applicable to either of the forms of supporting brackets shown and previously described herein, the lower edge of the depending flange 56 is given the contour shown to aid in retaining a locking lever 51 in open position. The lower edge 59 of this flange projects downwardly somewhat further than in the brackets previously described. The arrangement is such that the protuberance 60 of the locking lever 51 will continue to ride on the side surface of the flange until the lever 51 approaches open position, at which time the protuberance will snap over the lower edge 59 of the flange beyond latch portion 58 thereof, as shown in Fig. 16, so as to aid in maintaining the locking lever 51 in open position. In other respects the bracket may be the same as either bracket l! or bracket 44. This feature is desirable in some installations to assure that the locking lever will remain in open position during insertion or removal of the tilt bar H from its mounted position beneath the head bar Ill.

I claim:

1. For a Venetian blind having a head bar and a tilt bar, a fitting for supporting the tilt bar between its ends, said fitting comprising: a plate to be secured against the undersurface of the head bar, a substantially flat arm rigid with the plate, the arm extending downwardly and forwardly in a vertical plane and terminating in a forwardly-opening bifurcated end spaced vertically from the plate a distance substantially equal to the spacing between the head bar and the axis of rotation of the tilt bar, said arm having an open transverse bearing in the bifurcation adapted to receive a pintle mounted on the axis of rotation of the tilt bar, and a locking lever pivotally mounted on a side of the arm for oscillation in a plane parallel thereto, said lever having a portion adapted to be moved into position projecting across the bifurcation in the end of the arm sufiiciently to prevent movement of a pintle from the bearing, an operating portion extending on the opposite side of the pivot and shaped to conform in general outline with the arm, and a projection formed adjacent an edge thereof, overlying the edge of the arm, and adapted to engage the arm to limit the oscillatory movements of the lever.

2. For a Venetian blind having a head bar and a tilt bar, a fitting for supporting the tilt bar between its ends,said fitting comprising: a plate to be secured against the undersurface of the head bar, a substantially flat L-shaped arm rigid with the plate, the arm extending downwardly and forwardly in a vertical plane and terminating in a forwardly-opening bifurcated end spaced vertically from the plate a distance substantially equal to the spacing between the head bar and the axis of rotation of the tilt bar, said arm having an open transverse bearing in the bifurcation adapted to receive a pintle mounted on the axis of rotation of the tilt bar, and a locking lever pivotally mounted on a side of the arm for oscillation in a plane parallel thereto, said lever having a portion adapted to be moved into position projecting across the bifurcation in the end of the arm sufliciently to prevent movement of a pintle from the bearing, an operating portion extending on the opposite side of the pivot and shaped to conform in general outline with the arm, and a projecting flange formed on the inner edge thereof, overlying the inner edge of the arm, and adapted to engage the arm to limit the oscillatory movements of the lever.

HARRY NELSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following referen'ces are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,120,284 Lorentzen June 14, 1938 2,393,399 Nelson Jan. 22, 1946 

